Sheet-combing feeding machine



2 Sheets-Shea?l 1 E. D. RADER SHEET COMBING FEEDING MACHINE Filed Sept. 6, 1923 INVENTOR Oct. 19 1926.

Oct. 19 1926. 1,603,356

E. D. RADER SHEET COMBING FEEDING MACHNE Filed Sept. 6, 1923 2 Sheets-Shea?I 2 {Ilgil 36 3 J7 Parenteel @et te, tiene.,

. NETE@ STATES testate raranr'- oracion@ EARL I). BADER, OE BEDFORD TOWNSHIP, EVESTCHESTER COUNTY, NEW YORK, ES- I SGrNOR T DEXTER FOLDER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION Ol? EW YORK.

SHEET-COMBINE? EEEDING MACHINE.

application filed september e, i923. serial no. 661,235.

rllhe main object of the present invention is to improve the operation of automatic sheet combing feeding machines by providing a protector that operates between the web of flexible material that is presented K freely between the combing instrument and i the top of the pile of sheets acted upon, so as tov be unrestrained and free to respond to the action of the combing instrument. Any

suitable flexible material that will transmit the fanning out action of the combing instrument may be employed, but in practice l have obtained the best results with a thin strip or web of woven material such as linen or cotton. lThe interposition of the proteetor of flexible material between the combing instrument and pile preserves and prevents smutting the printed surfaceslof the sheets acted upon, and at the same time does not interfere with the effective action of the combing instrument.

A second feature of the present invention is the provision of a pile side guide with adjustable spring blades acting downwardly upon the top of the pile at opposite sides, so as to equalize the tension upon the sheets and insure an even feeding movement `of the sheets from the pile. 'lhis improvement in the pile guides is paiicularly important in feeding heavily printed sheets with which there is sometimes a tendency for uneven e0 movement from the pile because of the unequal distribution of the printed surfaces.

ln order that the invention may be fully understood, I will `first describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings and afterward point out the novel features in the 'annexed claims.

In said drawings Figure l is a` vertical longitudinal secltional elevation of part of an automatic sheet combing feeding machine having my improvements applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a detail plan view of parts of the same.

l Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Figures l and 2.

Figure et is an enlarged detail perspective view of a. part of the flexible protector and the clamp for attaching it to its supporting rock arm or controller. v

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of the improved pile side guide. lhe present improvements may be apin which the action of the combing instrument'can be applied to a pile of sheets through the flexible protector. E or the ,pur-

pose of illustrating the invention it is shown'k applied to the type of automatic feeder forming part of the combined folding and feeding machine covered filed August 10th, 1923, Serial No. 656,734.. 'lhe parts of this feeder will only be referred by my application plied to any sheet combing feeding machine to in a"general way suflicient to bring out the operation of the present invention.

ln' the drawings a machine frame indicated at ll carries the 'automatically operated pile supporting table 2 carrying a` pile of paperl sheets 3. 5 indicates the under feed roller and 6 the usual periodically operated drop rollers constituting the delivery from the pile. 7v is a sheet actuated trip controlling thel operationv of' the sheet combing wheels 8 carried upon a vertically rocking frame 9 and driven through suitable mechanism, not shown, to be periodically raised and lowered and also to be automatically raised in the manner well understood in this art..

from the machine frame above the pile of sheets ".llhis bar l0 carries the automatic tail grip 11, which is operated byt-he mechanism fully 'set forth in the above named application. y

Y l5 is a strip or web offlexible material which is designed to be pre/sented between the combing wheels 8 and the top of the pile of sheets 3.- `'llhis piece of flexible material V15v is referred to as aprotect'or because it softens the. action of the combing wheels upon the printed surface of a sheet and thereby prevents' smutting or other marring of the printed/sheet. The protector l5 may be of any suitable material that will produce4 the-desired result 4without interfering with the transmission of the combing action to the pile' operatedr upon. A strip Vof cotton or l() is a frame bar projecting" rearwardlylinen has been found particularly effective for this purpose.

For the purpose of properly presenting the protector of flexible material upon the top of the pile beneath the combing instrument, I provide a controller or rock arm 2O which is freely pivoted upon a stud 2l carried by a channeled bracket 22, which is adjustably mounted upon the rearwardly projecting frame bar l() above the pile support 2 in the rear of the combing instrument 8. This controller or rock arm ,20 carries in its lower end a laterally projecting clamp comprising a recessed bar 25 and a complementary bl-ade 26 fitting thereon and secured thereto by removable set screws 27 which pass through openings in the blade 2G and are threaded into the bar 25. The rear edge of the strip or web of flexible material 15 is attached to the clamp 25, 26 by being placed between these two members and fastening the clamp by means of set screws. The protecting strip can be adjusted in the clamp to cause it to project the desir-ed distance for- Wardl beneath the combing wheels,I it being desira le to have the strip project a litttle beyond the combing wheels and have a suflicient surface of material to the rear to insure the unrestrained free .action of the projecting strip under the action of the 'combing wheels. To this end the controller arm 20 is so-operated as to present a loose buckle or loop indicated at 15a in the projecting strip just prior Ato the action Aof the combing wheels.

The controller arm 20 projects above its pivot 2l .and has pivoted to its upper end a rod 30, pivoted at 3l to a bell crank leverI 32 journalled upon stud 33 and carrying antifriction roller 34, which operates upon cam 35 secured to the main cam shaftl 36 of the feeder. An adjustable torsion spring 37 mounted upon the stud 33 engages the bell crank lever 32 at 38 to cause the antifriction roller 34 to follow cam 35. l

By the described mechanism the controller or rock arm 2O is caused to periodically rock from its position shown in the full lines to its position shown in the dotted lines in Figure 1, with the result that immediately after each combing action the flexible protector l5 will be drawn rearwardly .and restored to its initial or normal position and immediately after this restoring action the lcontroller 2O is moved forwardly to form the free loop or buckle l5a in the protect-ing strip to thereby present the protecting strip in unrestrained relation upon the top ofthe pile, preparatory to lowering the combing wheel for a combing action.

In this type of feeder it is customary to employ pile side guides which are supported upon rearwardly projecting b ars l0 and presented upon opposite sides of the `pile being operated upon. l5 4is such a pile v,guide mounted upon the lower end of a rod 46 supported in a socketed bracket 47 carried by bar 40. This side guide 45 preferably constructed as shown in detail in Figure 5 in which it is formed at its upper edge with an inwardly presented flange 45, to which is secured by riveting or otherwise the rear edge of a blade 50 of spring steel. An adjusting screw 5l is threaded through bracket 45a in position to engage the spring blade 50 for adjusting its forwardly presented end upwardly and downwardly upon the pile guides fl. These pile guides 45 are so positionedA at the upper side edges of the pile of sheets that they will assist in keeping the sheets straight as they are fed from the pile. In feeding heavily printed sheets difficulty is sometimes encountered because of the tendency of the sheets to move unequally from the pile. This uneven feeding tendency is corrected with the improved pile side gauge by properly adjusting the spring blades 50 to engage the upper sheets with more or less tension, thereby rctarding theside of the Vpile of sheets, and .a sheet combing wheel mounted to move toward and away from and act upon said pile, of a protector of exible material interposed between said combing wheel and the pile of sheets with freedom to move under the action of the combing wheel.

3. The combination with a support for a pile of sheets, and a sheet combing instrument arranged to act upon said-pile, of a protector of fiexible material interposed between said instrument and the pile of sheets, and supporting .means for presenting a free loop or buckle inthe protector in rear of the combing instrument.

4. The combination with a support for a pile of sheets, and a sheet combing instrument arranged to act upon said pile, of a protector of flexible material interposed between said instrument and the pile of sheets and freely movable upon the pile under the action-of the combing instru ment. and means for periodically returning said flexible niaterial to its normal position.

5. The combination with a support for a pile of sheets, and a periodically acting sheet combing instrument arranged to act upon said pile, of a periodically shifted strip or web of protecting material interposed be- Leoaeee tween said instrument and the pile of sheets and freely movable upon the pile under the `action of the combing instrument, and means for periodically returning said protecting material to its normal position while the combing instrument isout of action.

6.. The combination with a support for a pile of sheets, and a sheet combing wheel arranged to act upon said pile, of a protector of flexible material interposed between said combing wheel and the pile of sheets and freely movable upon the pile under the action of a combing wheel, and means for periodically returning said protector to its normal position while the combing wheel is out of action.

7. The combination with a support for a pile of sheets, and a sheet combing instrument arranged to act upon said pile, of a strip or web of Hexible woven fabric interposed between said instrument and the pile of sheets and freely movable upon the pile under the action of the combing instrument, and means for periodically returning said flexible woven fabric to its normal position, while the combing instrument is out of action.

8. The combination with a sheet combing instrument adapted to act upon a pile of' sheets, of a protecting strip or web adapted to be interposed between the combing instrument and a pile with freedom to move under the action of the combing instrumentA 9. The combination with a sheet combing instrument adapted to act upon a pile of `sheets, of a strip or web of flexible material,

and means for supporting said flexible material between the combing instrument and a pile with freedom to move under the action of the combing instrument.

10. The combination with a sheet combing instrument adapted to act upon a pile of sheets, and means for periodically moving said combing instrument into and out of engagement with the pile, lof a protecting strip or web interposed between said instrument and the pile, and a movable controller for said strip or web permitting its unrestrained movement under the action of the combing instrument and acting to restore the protecting strip or web tolnormal position when the combing instrument is out of action.

11. rllhe combination with a sheet combing instrument adapted to act upon a pile of sheets, and means for periodicallyI moving said combing instrument into and out of engagement with the pile, of a strip or web of flexible material interposed between said instrument and the pile, a movable controller for said flexible material mounted above said pile support in rear ofsaid combing instruiment, 'and means foroperating said controller moving it rearwardly and forwardly to first restore the exible material to normal position and then establish Va free loop or buckle in the flexible material while the combing instrument is out of action.

12. rlhe combination with -a periodically acting sheet combing instrument adapted to act upon a pile of sheets, of a protecting strip or web`of flexible material, and a controller for said strip or web arranged to present the same between said combing instrument and the pile with a free loop or buckle between the controller and pile, said controller being timed to restore the strip or web to normal position while the combing instrument is outof action.

13. The combination with a support for a pile of sheets, means for delivering sheets from the pile, and a periodically acting sheet combing instrument arranged to act upon the pile, of a protector of flexible material presented freely between said combing instrument and the pile, and a controlling member adapted to periodically restore said4 p rlotector to its normal positionupon the '1 e. p 14. rllhe combination with a support for a pile of sheets, and a periodically acting sheet combing instrument arranged to act upon the pile, of a strip or web of flexible material presented between said combing instrument and the pile, and a periodically operating rock arm mounted above the pile support and having said strip or web attached to it.

15. The combination with a support for rock arm adjustably mounted above the pile support and having means for engaging said strip or web of flexible material.

17. The combination with ra support for a pile of sheets, and a periodically acting sheet combing instrument arranged to act upon the pile, of a strip or web of flexible material presentedbetween said combing instrument and the pile, a bar projecting above said pile support, a periodically operating rock arm mounted upon said bar, and means upon said` rock arm for attaching said strip or web thereto. y f Q 18. 'llhe combination with a sup ort .for-a pile of sheets, and a -periodically a ting sheet'vv combing instrument arranged to act4 upon the pile,

of a strip or web oft flexible material presented between saidcombing instrumentr and the pile, a bar projecting above said pile plate adapted to engage the edge of a pile,

Support, a periodically operating rock arm a downwardly acting spring blade mounted l0 mounted upon said bar, and a clamp upupon said plate and engaging the top of the on said rock Varm for engaging said strip pile adjacent thereto, and an adjusting screw 5 or web of flexible material. carried by said guide plate and engaging 19. The combination with a support for a said Spring blade. pile of sheets, and means for feeding sheets from the pile, of a pile guide comprising ay EARL D. BADER. 

